It’s a moment that might define Byron Buxton as a baseball player for years to come.

In a game on June 10, the Cedar Rapids Kernels 19-year-old phenom was a patrolling center field when Kane County’s David Bote hit a deep fly ball to left-center. Buxton showed off his speed and athleticism as he converged on the warning track. What happened next turned into a YouTube sensation and cemented a prime slot on ESPN’s SportsCenter when Buxton laid out with full extension to snag the ball on its way down.

“It was a spectacular catch,” Kernels left fielder J.D. Williams said. “I told him if I didn’t see it on ESPN’s Top 10, I was going to quit baseball.”

The catch landed Buxton in the No. 2 position on SportsCenter that night. That was one of many highlights during the Class-A ball tenure for Buxton, who graduated from Appling County High School in 2012 and is in his second season in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system.

Pictured Above is Buxton making a catch during a recent game.

“Off the bat I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m getting this,’” Buxton said. “The farther it got out it seemed like it was slowing down and the closer I was getting to it I was like, ‘I might have a chance.’ By the time I knew it, I was lying out catching it.”

Kernels manager Jake Mauer watched the catch in awe from the dugout. He credits Buxton with getting a great jump and taking a deep angle on the ball right off the bat.

“I hate to say you get used to seeing him do it, but you really do,” Williams said. “Bloopers, he dives and catches them. Balls in the gap, he runs them down. You kind of get used to seeing it. It’s not even amazing anymore, he’s done it so many times.”

To see the entire article pick up your copy of The Baxley News-Banner on newsstands today or CLICK HERE to Subscribe.

E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above:

Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry

Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.